Before I begin my story I want to say, "Thank You Lopaka (my son) for buying me the"My Life" CD as a Christmas gift in 1999. If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have done this autobiography." So I hope you can find what I have to say interesting. It's been exciting for me to recall all of these memories. Of course, there is much, much more than I've typed about here, but I think you'll get a pretty good idea of what kind of a life I've had so far. I think a good place to start is by telling you a little about my Grandparents on my Mothers side, the Portugese side. My Mothers name is Lucy Pacheo Lee. My grandparents came to Hawaii from Portugal. My Grandfathers name is Manual Pacheo. I don't know my Grandmothers first name. They lived in Sprecksville, Maui. It was a place in the middle of the sugar cane fields, that was called Camp One. They lived across the street from the Camp One store. They both were immigrants who came to Hawaii to work on the sugar plantation. My Grandfather drove the train in the sugar fields. Grandpa used to walk about a mile from his house, to the beach, to go spear fishing. As a teenager I remember riding the bus from Wailuku to Sprecksville. It must be about 25 miles one way. I think this was during the years between 1945 and 1949. I remember what the plantation house looked like and remember playing in Camp One with my friend, Herbert Moniz. My Uncle Lawrence Cabral and my Auntie Eva Cabral lived in the back of Camp One. My Grandparents had a big house, with a large yard. My Grandfather used to make his own wine. I always say a large wooden barrel laying on it's side in his back yard that contained his wine. I was in their home one evening during a very heavy rain shower and the roof leaked so badly that we had to put a lot of pots and pans on the floor to catch all the water. My Grandparents on my Fathers side, the Lee side, where the Chinese blood came from, are immigrants from China, who also came to Hawaii to work on the sugar plantation. I didn't know Grandfather Lee because he died when I was very young. Dad said that Grandpa Lee was a cook for the Maryknoll Brothers at Saint Anthony High School in Wailuku, Maui. Grandma Lee remarried and moved to Honolulu. We used to visit her whenever we came to Honolulu. She was a small, slim lady who had a loud voice. My father, Robert AhYen Lee, was born on Feb. 17, 1907 and died on New Years eve, Dec. 31, 1988 at Hale Makua, a nursing home. He lived to be 81 years old. Dad was divorced, his last job was as a Bookkeeper for Haleakala Moving and Storage in Kahului, Maui. We lived at 313 Kalua Drive in Wailuku, Maui. Dad was born in Waikapu and only went up to the 8th grade which at that time was the highest grade. He took correspondence courses in bookkeeping which was his career. He also was an automobile salesman, worked for the US Government at N.A.S.K.A., whis was a large Navy base in Kahului, Maui. That airfield is now the Kahului Airport. The main airport for the island of Maui. Mom said that Dad also owned a womens dress shop. Dad smoked Camels, loved to play golf, play cards, drink with his golf partners, go surf casting and once ended up in the hospital with ulcers. He only had vision in one eye. My mother, Lucy Pacheo Lee, is Portugese. She was born in Sprecksville which is called Camp One. All of the plantation camps are now non-existent. There are no plantation camps anymore. They have all been moved to a central location and are not called plantation camps anymore. Most of the sugar mills in Hawaii have been closed. My mother was raised by her Uncle who lived in Kailua, Maui. Kailua is located on the way to Hana, Maui. Mom was a switchboard operator who worked for Hawaiian Telephone Co. She worked as a switchboard operator in Kula, Maui. Back in those days when you made a telephone call from one side of Maui to the other side, it was considered a long distance call and you had to go thru a switchboard operator who connected wires with metal probes on the end of the wire and she put those wires into holes on a board to make the long distance connection for you. Mom was the telephone operator for many years at the Pineapple Cannery in Kahului, Maui. She had a home in Kula, Maui and drove all the way to Lahiana when she was working at a hotel there after she retired from Maui Pine. It must have been about 40 miles one way. Mom took excellent care of us, was a good housekeeper and could whip up some ono delicious meals and desserts. I was born on Feb. 7, 1936 at the Malulani Hospital. I think the building is still there. It's just below Saint Anthony High School. I think it's now used as an old people's home. We lived at 313 Kalua Drive in Wailuku. It was a beautiful neighborhood when I was growing up there. I had some wonderful childhood playmates and we always had many happy experiences playing in the neighborhood. The best thing that I had when I was a kid was my bicycle. I rode my bicycle all over the neighborhood. I even rode it to school a few times and made good use of my bike delivering newspapers. I delivered the Honolulu Star Bulletin, the Advertiser on Sundays, and the Maui News twice a week at night using my trusted and ever faithful bicycle. I used to sell the Star Bulletin sitting in front of the Bank of Hawaii building in Wailuku. The Star Bulletin used to sell for 10 cents. We kept 2 cents for us as profit for each newspaper. I always had a lot of money and could buy all the candy and ice cream that I wanted from the Chee Jan store that was just across the street from our home. Alvin Chee's father owned the store. I used to go over to the store at night and talk story with Ahwing (Alvin's chinese name) until the store closed at 8 o'clock each night. next page
Before I begin my story I want to say, "Thank You Lopaka (my son) for buying me the"My Life" CD as a Christmas gift in 1999. If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have done this autobiography."
So I hope you can find what I have to say interesting. It's been exciting for me to recall all of these memories. Of course, there is much, much more than I've typed about here, but I think you'll get a pretty good idea of what kind of a life I've had so far.
I think a good place to start is by telling you a little about my Grandparents on my Mothers side, the Portugese side. My Mothers name is Lucy Pacheo Lee. My grandparents came to Hawaii from Portugal. My Grandfathers name is Manual Pacheo. I don't know my Grandmothers first name. They lived in Sprecksville, Maui. It was a place in the middle of the sugar cane fields, that was called Camp One. They lived across the street from the Camp One store. They both were immigrants who came to Hawaii to work on the sugar plantation. My Grandfather drove the train in the sugar fields. Grandpa used to walk about a mile from his house, to the beach, to go spear fishing. As a teenager I remember riding the bus from Wailuku to Sprecksville. It must be about 25 miles one way. I think this was during the years between 1945 and 1949. I remember what the plantation house looked like and remember playing in Camp One with my friend, Herbert Moniz. My Uncle Lawrence Cabral and my Auntie Eva Cabral lived in the back of Camp One. My Grandparents had a big house, with a large yard. My Grandfather used to make his own wine. I always say a large wooden barrel laying on it's side in his back yard that contained his wine. I was in their home one evening during a very heavy rain shower and the roof leaked so badly that we had to put a lot of pots and pans on the floor to catch all the water.
My Grandparents on my Fathers side, the Lee side, where the Chinese blood came from, are immigrants from China, who also came to Hawaii to work on the sugar plantation. I didn't know Grandfather Lee because he died when I was very young. Dad said that Grandpa Lee was a cook for the Maryknoll Brothers at Saint Anthony High School in Wailuku, Maui. Grandma Lee remarried and moved to Honolulu. We used to visit her whenever we came to Honolulu. She was a small, slim lady who had a loud voice.
My father, Robert AhYen Lee, was born on Feb. 17, 1907 and died on New Years eve, Dec. 31, 1988 at Hale Makua, a nursing home. He lived to be 81 years old. Dad was divorced, his last job was as a Bookkeeper for Haleakala Moving and Storage in Kahului, Maui. We lived at 313 Kalua Drive in Wailuku, Maui. Dad was born in Waikapu and only went up to the 8th grade which at that time was the highest grade. He took correspondence courses in bookkeeping which was his career. He also was an automobile salesman, worked for the US Government at N.A.S.K.A., whis was a large Navy base in Kahului, Maui. That airfield is now the Kahului Airport. The main airport for the island of Maui. Mom said that Dad also owned a womens dress shop. Dad smoked Camels, loved to play golf, play cards, drink with his golf partners, go surf casting and once ended up in the hospital with ulcers. He only had vision in one eye.
My mother, Lucy Pacheo Lee, is Portugese. She was born in Sprecksville which is called Camp One. All of the plantation camps are now non-existent. There are no plantation camps anymore. They have all been moved to a central location and are not called plantation camps anymore. Most of the sugar mills in Hawaii have been closed. My mother was raised by her Uncle who lived in Kailua, Maui. Kailua is located on the way to Hana, Maui. Mom was a switchboard operator who worked for Hawaiian Telephone Co. She worked as a switchboard operator in Kula, Maui. Back in those days when you made a telephone call from one side of Maui to the other side, it was considered a long distance call and you had to go thru a switchboard operator who connected wires with metal probes on the end of the wire and she put those wires into holes on a board to make the long distance connection for you. Mom was the telephone operator for many years at the Pineapple Cannery in Kahului, Maui. She had a home in Kula, Maui and drove all the way to Lahiana when she was working at a hotel there after she retired from Maui Pine. It must have been about 40 miles one way. Mom took excellent care of us, was a good housekeeper and could whip up some ono delicious meals and desserts.
I was born on Feb. 7, 1936 at the Malulani Hospital. I think the building is still there. It's just below Saint Anthony High School. I think it's now used as an old people's home. We lived at 313 Kalua Drive in Wailuku. It was a beautiful neighborhood when I was growing up there. I had some wonderful childhood playmates and we always had many happy experiences playing in the neighborhood. The best thing that I had when I was a kid was my bicycle. I rode my bicycle all over the neighborhood. I even rode it to school a few times and made good use of my bike delivering newspapers. I delivered the Honolulu Star Bulletin, the Advertiser on Sundays, and the Maui News twice a week at night using my trusted and ever faithful bicycle. I used to sell the Star Bulletin sitting in front of the Bank of Hawaii building in Wailuku. The Star Bulletin used to sell for 10 cents. We kept 2 cents for us as profit for each newspaper. I always had a lot of money and could buy all the candy and ice cream that I wanted from the Chee Jan store that was just across the street from our home. Alvin Chee's father owned the store. I used to go over to the store at night and talk story with Ahwing (Alvin's chinese name) until the store closed at 8 o'clock each night.
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